The Trust for Public Land — or TPL — is a San Francisco based conservation organization. They’ve worked on similar projects across the country, including India Basin Shoreline Park in Bayview- Hunters Point.
Juan Altamirano is the Director of Government Affairs for TPL. He told KALW that they have the exclusive option to buy Golden Gate Fields, but they still need to raise the money.
“We'll be seeking those contributions and those dollars being raised from a number of different sources," Altamirano said. "Via private philanthropy, state resources and local, regional partners there.”
Altamirano says they expect the purchase to happen by the end of this year or early 2027. After that, they’ll hand the land over to East Bay Regional Parks who will solicit feedback from the community about what to do with it. One important factor: Sea level rise.
“One of the options that we'll be exploring alongside with East Bay Regional Parks is returning some of that property into tidal wetlands restoration,” he told KALW.
The San Francisco Bay is expected to rise by 7 feet by 2051, which will flood almost all of Golden Gate Fields. Restoring the wetlands could help mitigate some of the damage from rising tides. Altamirano says they’re excited.
“We have a long track record of being successful in big complicated projects," he explained. "And this is just one more to our record here and we fully anticipate getting this thing done.”
Now, they have to start fundraising.
